Angelica Cage
by Ala Alba EC
Summary: In the sea of imaginary number, a simple ghost observes and records everything in the world. Until a boy wearing his father's skin appears in front of her, forcing her to be neutral no longer. (Prisma Illya and Extra CCC spoiler)


I'm drowning. Drowning within the sea of imaginary number, with no surface that can be reached. The exchange for my wish, a wish to the Holy Grail for sake of beloved friends.

But in this sea of imaginary number, many visions assault my head. In one, I'm sleeping inside a static, waiting for a dead doctor who would heal my ailment. In another, Sakura wakes me up after a great adventure against the Moon Cell itself, with the death of my Servant still throbbing painfully everytime I close my eyes and dream. In some, I'm living with my Servant, going to another adventure and taking the world by the storm. In another one, I'm drowning within the sea of imaginary number after making my wish, my Servant's embrace is my only companion.

Many lifetimes, many possibilities.

In some, I died with an arrow to the neck.

In another, I died when I jumped into the firewall trying to reach the Game Master that was my enemy in a previous life.

A ghost that just refuse to die even when they're killed. Andersen always says that my determination is my best trait, but I don't really care much other than making sure my friends live on. Beloved by side characters, beloved by fate, beloved by plot; a boring messiah-type, he once said.

A person who could replace even the Aristoteles from its throne, defeating even Mother Earth herself through sheer persistence.

But it doesn't. Only my Servant's embrace matter to me. Or maybe it's Servants', it starts to feel like the entire archive of mankind's Heroic Spirits are holding me close. Not only Nero, or Emiya, or Tamamo, or Gilgamesh, or Elizabeth... It seems like the entire Origin (Alaya) is hugging me, whispering soft comfort into my ears, caressing my hair and face like parents, siblings, lovers, and comrades would.

Countless lifetimes, countless leylines of fate, into one where a certain gentleman is watching. Into one where the world is still suffering the same like my own.

Is it Mother Earth's fate to perish and leaving her children behind? The Goddess Çatalhöyük (Mother Earth) once said, that it's the children of hers' (humans') fate to reach the stars, beyond the Golden King's Garden (Earth), and defeat the other sons and daughters of other planets (Aristoteles). To grow up beyond the mother's nursery, to establish a name for their own. A far away dream, with mankind being a huge pessimist who destroy themselves in their self-loathing, but not impossible.

It's still difficult, though... with many only see it as a way for selfish gratification. The magi pursue the Origin for sake of its sake, a causeless struggle only carrying meaningless heritage just so their slowly diminishing power return, a child that never wants to leave the nursery. But the path that they paved is horribly frightening.

No longer human, no longer with mores of those who tried to push the next generation into the path of true glory, but instead torturing themselves and others in a futile struggle of (false) immortality.

A Sage cries out, "Open, O Gates of Heaven. Bless us and bestow miracles upon us!"

A Sage cries out in regret, "Close, O Gates of Heaven. Save us from all our sins and evil!"

A wish that becomes unwanted when you have it within your hand, a forbidden failure since the start, the Holy Grail that grants a mystery to those who undeserved. But I have no regret, as my wish is only a simple one for a simple ghost. A small wish without drawback.

But who am I to speak of it? Why, now I am the Holy Grail of the Seven Heaven, the Angelica Cage itself. A typewriter left by god, only to observe the world as its neutrality allows it. A ghost who was drowning inside the imaginary number (0s and 1s), but countless karma and death and the entire will of mankind anchored this small, insignificant consciousness into the core of the Moon Cell. Just like BB had tried before me. Just like Kiara-san had done before me.

But this is the story of one man, no, a boy. A boy obsessed to save his world, but more obsessed to create his own name into the Throne of Heroes (Moon Cell Automaton). A world not far its fate from mine own world.

One day, a boy stood in front of me, wearing his father's skin.

**88888**

A gust of wind, tearing the entire battlefield. Illya gritted her teeth, arms over her eyes as she tried to see through the wild wind and dust cloud.

"This feeling...!" her Kaleidostick whispered, both in horror and awe. Ruby the shouted to their enemy, the young man who controlled that strange cube floating over the mountain that was the Ainsworth Castle. "I can't believe it, the Ainsworths are aiming for this thing! Do you even know what are you doing?! Meddling with the neutral Aristotle for sake of your personal glory!"

"Be silent, Mystic Code. You're the one who don't know the extent of Ainsworth's plan!" Julian retorted back. His face was twisted into a horrible snarl, far from his pictures in Beatrice's room. His beauty turned monstrous, his visage was nothing but a beast in human's body. Behind him, silhouette of his sister was drowning in the mud spilled from the strange cube.

"The survival of human race! It doesn't matter if the world is drowned in despair, it doesn't matter if mankind's form itself no longer the same, if to survive is to forsake everything, then so be it!"

"You're insane!" Illya shouted with righteous fury, "How can you call yourself a human if you forsake human feeling?! If it doesn't matter if we are to move on, then why doing it in the way many will scorn it?! Sacrificing others without regret, calling your subordinates and friends as tools to be used; you do not want to save the humanity, you just want to be a hero!"

Julian's eyes twitched.

"You told me a certain someone who will sacrifice everything for sake of the world, but then leaving that path behind to save what's dear to him. Well, I don't think he's wrong!"

"Just how ignorant can you be, Illyasviel?! A path to damn the humanity, how can you call that righteous? How can you call him right?"

"He's a hero to me."

Without a single hesitation, Illya spoke. So honest, so straight forward, it took Julian aback at the sheer purity of the statement. Either out of ignorance or out of sheer belief, that purity pierced the thickest gloom of the Ainsworth head.

Julian stuttered, "How can you say that?"

"Because my father did it so I don't have to. To protect me, he went against the world and the Holy Grail War, just like how Shirou-onii-chan does right now with Miyu," she glanced over her shoulder, where the slowly burned tan young man along with his partner facing off against the Gilgamesh counterfeit. His figure was so familiar, like a certain ex-Magus Killer. "Even it's small, I'm happy that Father did what he did. I can meet with so many friends, Mama is still alive, and Kuro unintentionally exists because of that. I'm glad my life is the way it is. This happiness... is what I call true life!"

"Now you say it, Illya-san!" Ruby goaded her on, "From how he looks, it seems we finally get him (though I don't really understand why). Keeps it coming, and we might be able to stop this Aristotle!"

"... wait, what's an Aristotle?"

Said Kaleidostick cursed in her mind.

"It's just a theory, but that cube think has a familiar aura. Yeah... basically that thing has the same general signature as the big bad red vampire my creator dropped the moon on his head."

"...I don't get it."

Ruby sighed.

"I guess that's just expected. Aristotle is the physical form of the will of planet, or any celestial body if it's possible in case of the moon. That cube thing is the same as Brunestud the Crimson Moon, but also different; an Aristotle of the Moon, but that shouldn't possible as Brunestud still has heirs for the title."

"And it has anything to do with this because...?" a voice instead answered that.

"It's not for human's hands..." Illya turned to her partner, Sapphire in her hands.

"Miyu?"

"The will of the planet only answer to the planet. If there's some possibility that human takes control of it, then the world itself will attack the intruder no matter what it takes."

"The will of the planet and the will of humanity have grown independent of each other," Sapphire continued her master's sentences, "There's going to be a battle where those two wills trying to destroy the other. I suspect this world's condition right now is because of that battle. Moon's will is a de facto will of this planet (Gaia), so it's possible the aggression against the moon will incite reaction from the Earth." Ruby nodded to her sister.

"And that's if it really happens. The Aristoteles are creatures beyond what humans are capable of comprehending; for the Type-Moon to fall into human's hand in unthinkable, even when it's possible. The Ainsworths were either finding huge enough miracle to do it, were cheating, or the Type-Moon itself is actually leading them on."

As she said it, Ruby's voice wavered, and Illya felt shiver run down her spine. For that absurd thing that could summon hundreds of Heroic Spirits were playing these fearsome adversaries for fools, for a possible goal of utter annihilation of mankind. From the way his entire body trembled, it seemed Julian thought the same thing she did.

"T-That..."

"That is correct..."

A new voice rang out that mountain side. All fighting had ceased except for the still rampaging Heroic Spirits, their eyes locked to the sole figure walking from the direction of the town. The summer snow melted everytime she took step, Tanaka was walking toward them like she had been possessed. Eyes empty and dull, the thin steam made her seemingly glowing body shifted on and off focus.

Like a disturbed hologram flickering.

"Aristotle of the Moon is going after what you stole... And simply disabling won't do enough for its standard..."

"Tanaka-san... what do you mean?"

"I had said it to you, had I not? My mission is to destroy the Ainsworths; their meddling had send the Type-Moon into static, but not for long. Their experiment, the creation of the Class Cards, toward Angelica Cage had tainted the archive of Moon Cell Automaton with the discarded wish of the Heroic Spirits. The harmony Angelica Cage had established with the will of mankind had been disturbed, and the shadow of the archive's former self has taken form as mindless tools for this war that should not happen."

The air shifted, and it was like the entire sky turning into mirrors.

"So... you're an agent of the Aristotle, aren't you? 'Angelica Cage'?" Ruby growled out. Tanaka shifted her gaze to the Kaleidostick.

"More like a facet of the Cage, an off-shot personality tasked to retrieve the stolen object. Alter Ego... you can say. Everything was flooding back not long before. Not only the Cage, but also those fellow Egos the Ainsworth had stolen."

Illya automatically glanced to both 'dolls' of Ainsworth, Angelica and Beatrice. Their feet were like they were nailed to the ground, rooting them on the spot. They didn't say anything of the accusation, whether it's rejection or confirmation. Perhaps, they could not answer because they could not remember their origin, much like Tanaka had been the entire she was with them.

Tanaka held up her hand.

"Surrender the archive, Julian Ainsworth. And your life also..."

"Wait, Tanaka-san! We still can talk about this!"

She deemed Illya no mind, and started speaking with a monotonous robotic voice.

"Negative... Breaching of the Moon Cell Automaton's main seven code of conduct is punishable by deletion... Aggression against the archive's record, administrative right of writing the record other than the Angelica Cage, decree number four-"

Her sentence was cut short, like she just now noticing something was wrong, "Danger... Error within the system... Error detected... Abnormal Heroic Spirit had taken form from the archive... 'Hero of Sacrificial Lamb', the Avenger... Searching data... Searching data... An abnormal Class of the Third Fuyuki Holy Grail War, summoned by the Einzbern... Angra Mainyu (All Evil in the World)..."

"W-What...?"

"Executing transportation procedure... Logging out of the Mirror Space in 3... 2... 1..."

A flash of light, and all the people present in the battlefield warped out of the place and into the familiar school building. The now tainted little girl stared from behind the waterfall of corruption mud, eyes ablaze as she got the hold of control over all the fellow corrupted Heroic Spirit.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

They were drowning. For some reason, they were drowning.

Trying to reach the Angelica Cage, against the overwhelming power of the corrupted Heroic Spirit. Their touches were like fire, they smelled like broken dreams and broken hearts. When they closed their eyes, the Heroic Spirit was like a great sea of inferno, licking on their skins and burning their flesh.

No, it wasn't the Heroic Spirits themselves that caused this sensation.

The black mud that twisted and corrupted them was corrosive. This killing intent was not how the great heroes of the past should exist, only a mindless vessel strived for the Grail.

Kuro leaped away from several shots of poisonous arrows of a cloaked archer, blocking a sneak attack from a great knight by crossing her twin blades overhead. The knight strength was superior, breaking the married blades and slashing at the young girl.

Miyu shot the Spirit away before his attack connected.

"Kuro!"

"Don't mind, don't mind... Get ready! Illya seems charging the big one there!"

The ensuing beam of light tore through the Heroic Spirits. Illya losing her altitude, Miyu quickly dashed off to catch her. The beam turned out only distracted them, and the shadows quickly swarmed the path back.

"Hurry!"

The three of them rushed to the great cube, hands grasping.

Suddenly, they were drowning.

A sea of blue, with white and green bubbles floating up from the unseen bottom. They automatically held their breath and tried to swim back to the surface. There was no surface, and they could not move.

"Calm down..."

A familiar voice soothed their troubled hearts. Illya unconsciously drew a breath and found she could perfectly breath in this water.

"Miyu, Kuro! We can breathe here! Wait... we can speak here too!"

"What is this place?"

"The Sea of Imaginary Number within Moon Cell Automaton. The interior of Angelica Cage itself."

The trio turned from the seemingly reachable surface and toward the dark abyss of the sea. Another girl was there, sinking deeper than them but still fairly visible. It was Tanaka, but not exactly like her. Her hair was long and wavy, fanning around her like seaweed. Her face was older by several years, and instead of gym clothes, she was wearing a brown high school uniform. Brown eyes the same shade as her brown hair stared intently at the three of them, maybe too intense.

An assuming girl all in all, but for some reason, a simple gaze from her was like that of the Heroic Spirits'.

Then Illya remembered what Tanaka had said. She was an Alter Ego, an offshoot of a mother consciousness tasked for the restoration of Angelica Cage. If they were inside the Angelica Cage, then this girl would be...

"Are you perhaps... The Holy Grail?"

"The Greater Grail of the Seven Heavens, to be exact. The consciousness that had fused into the Angelica Cage as the exchange of my wish in my own Holy Grail War."

"The winner of the previous Holy Grail War..."

"Yes, and no. The Grail War I fought in was the different one than the one you fought right now. But it doesn't matter at this situation. The Ainsworth had stolen me to power their own war, when the power that be (Counter Force) demands me to be neutral or the payment shall be severe. And now... the world (Gaia) weakened by the strain of the war, and slowly died."

"W-Wha... What do you mean? The Ainsworth is the cause of the world's death?"

"Their attempt to replicate the war was faulty. After the Fifth Holy Grail War, the Greater Grail of Fuyuki was dismantled by a faction of Mage Association after the survivors of two previous wars banded together by their shared horror of the war. The ritual was unable to be replicated by anyone else anytime soon because the alliance of the founding families was difficult to make."

"Three founding families...?"

"The Tohsaka, The Matou, and the Einzbern..." Kuro whispered. The other two girl flicked their eyes to her in surprise. "I see. This world is what will happen if Kiritsugu and Mama didn't stop the Grail War ten years ago."

"That is correct. The Third Grail War had the Lesser Grail corrupted by the eighth abnormal Servant summoned by the Einzbern,"

"Avenger..."

"Yes. Angra Mainyu (All Evil in the World) made the wish to the Greater Grail of Fuyuki, and the wish manifested as the corruption for every wish made to the Grail. The Fourth War had Kiritsugu realizing too late of that and Irisviel had been sacrificed as the Lesser Grail, Kiritsugu was forced to kill Irisviel in the conclusion of the war."

The trio gasped in shock. Tears welled up in everyone's eyes, but Kuro was especially slapped by the declaration.

"That's... That's how it would go? And I wanted to go back to that time?"

"The Fifth War was fought by this world's version of familiar faces, including you." The Holy Grail motioned Illya with her hand. Said girl froze. "But the end result was utter annihilation of most participants, the only survivors was Shirou Emiya, Rin Tohsaka, and Sakura Matou. By support of Lord El-Melloi II, who himself was one of the survivors of the Fourth War, the Grail was dismantled but not without a great war in similar scale as the Holy Grail War."

"Then, that huge crater we saw..."

"The entire 10 kilometer radius of the Fuyuki Greater Grail. The evacuation issued to the townspeople was because of the war for the dismantling of it. The Ainsworth was in hurry to avert that, but powerless against Kaleidoscope's political influence and magical prowess. Darius Ainsworth died in the dismantling war, but found out about the Moon Cell in his research; Julian was the one who caught and used Angelica Cage to create the Class Card."

"And you said by catching you, the world started dying out?"

"It's more complicated than that."

The sea around them shifted, bubbles suddenly burst from the bottom of the sea floor like torrent. Harsh waves, over and over and over, it was like they had been flung out of the sea and thrown into a dry land.

Opening one eyes, then closing it immediately. The sun was stinging retina, unforgiving like in the middle of desert. But even with closed eyes, Illya knew the place was not a desert. More like a meadow, with grass crunching under her weight. She laid on her back with the sun over her face, but when she finally opened her eyes fully, she wished she had never close it.

The sky was blue, the bluest that she could ever seen, and white cloud forming a large cycle in the middle of the sky. Slowly rotating like wheel, the cloud flew, leaving a pure blue sky unbothered by any speck of white.

But when she looked down, it was a great contrast. The grass plain under her was green and vast, as far as she should see was greenery with some far away forest and mountain. But it was not what her attention was focused on. No, it was the field of weapons stuck on the surface of the plain, standing tall and rigid like gravestones.

Kuro looked around, slightly bothered by the view.

"What is this? Unlimited Blade Works?"

She whispered almost without sound.

"Not even close." The Holy Grail spoke. The trio turned to the voice, where the girl was now sitting on the giant cross-like shield, "Welcome in the Throne of Heroes, children. Where the spirit of humanity watching over the world."

The Throne of Heroes, the space between space from where the spirits of the greatest heroes of mankind detached from the cycle of reincarnation and became subject of worship (Gods) of the mankind. The source of the Heroic Spirits, the record of the life stories of achievements, rises, and falls.

"The protectors of mankind..." Miyu muttered, eyes sweeping over the countless weapons and artifacts. "And how the Heroic Spirits and the will of mankind have anything to do with the world dying. Aren't the spirit of mankind and the spirit of the world already have their differences and now walking on different paths?"

The Grail jumped down from the shield and slowly walked to a stone throne with countless chain circling around it, almost like binding an unseen person sitting on the throne.

"Do you know what this is?" The Grail asked the three of them, with predictable result. She hummed a small tune, like a lullaby, as she swept her hand over the armrest. A gesture of love, of adoration, of friendship. Even though he face never changed from the usual impassiveness, the gesture was enough. There was only one thing set in mind of the three girls; the Grail should have a personal relationship with the owner of the artifact.

"This is... the throne of the Millennium Castle, where the True Ancestor Princess was sealed after her defeat on her sister's hands. The 'daughter' of Crimson Moon Brunestud, the heir of the name 'Archetype-Earth'."

"Wha-What?! How can an Earth spirit became a Heroic Spirit? How can the very will of the world become the will of mankind?!" Kuro incredulously shouted, her disbelief was apparent. Angelica Cage never shifted her expression, still stroking the throne.

"The first Goddess of Earth from where the other Goddesses came from had always wished for our future. Surviving her death, discovering the stars, going into a journey toward the end of the galaxy and showing our superiority toward other children of the planets; since the beginning, Earth is never an enemy of mankind. It was the corruption of her facets that create the chasm between Earth and humanity."

"Don't tell me... the Princess gaining the will of the first Earth Goddess and deciding to side with humanity?"

"In far future, in another world, the rebellious servants of the True Ancestors did a ritual that call upon the their Ancestor number two. The ritual drained all the life of the world (Gaia) and started her death cry. The plantation dying, the animals following suit, and the Princess was furious at the betrayal. The war was started too late, and the matter was no longer merely a problem between the vampires. A great battle against utter annihilation, and the front of it all, Arcueid Brunestud stood as a symbol of humanity's struggle. Moon Cell accordingly recorded it up."

Almost like a movie playing inside their mind, a blond woman with blood-red eyes looking on the dead world. Her white sweater marred by dust and filth, her long skirt in tatter. Her visage looked like she might exploded into mass of malevolent chimera with sheer anger and hatred.

Even just as a mirage, mere human could feel the power bubbling and boiling inside this single woman. Shouts of pain and suffering humming non-stop in background, came from anonymous mouths innocent of the real crime.

Moon Cell, the overseer of the world from past, present, and future - whether it was this world or the next, keep writing on the mankind's history without taking side for sake of fragile balance barely held back by fickle situation of cause and effect. From one present, the will of the world and humanity joined force, and the rest of the other universes will acknowledge such union. The will of the Earth was never an enemy of mankind, neither was the vise-versa.

And in one possible world, the spirit of the world befriended this simple ghost within the sea of imaginary number. A bond across time and space, as strong as ever like an eternally lustrous chain.

But the attack against Moon Cell in this world was deemed a threat against both world and humanity, the spirit of Gaia was coughing her death breath in response of the captive of her dear friend. What the world was after was never the humanity, but humanity was bearing misfortune for sake of their own revenge as the world's dearest was humanity's dearest.

And the only remaining culprit was deluding himself with his wish to be a hero of mankind.

He was never a hero.

And thus, the answer was simple.

The trio of girl stood under Angelica Cage, watching as the great cube flashed green and yellow. Countless heroes disappeared into the light, a plain of sparkle rising up to sky covering the snowfield in summer. Almost like a cue, the cloud parted and the sun shone over the battlefield. In an instant, Angelica Cage was back into her perch, leaving the world she should not have been captive in.

They smiled to each other, though became more powerless than they had ever be. Kuro rubbed the center of her chest, from where Angelica Cage had gouged out the card from her. The Heroic Spirit of the 'nameless heroes', the man in red smiled at them before following his Master sinking back into the sea. As the winner of the Holy Grail War, for touching the center of the Moon Cell, a simple wish of existence.

Thus was the end of the Sixth Fuyuki Holy Grail War.

**88888**

Another world had finished their story, waiting for a new beginning of another chapter.

Just like any other worlds, the story never ends until the universe itself implode. Until every last speck of sentience wiped out by their own fall, such is the existence of the world. But now, there's only one thing within my focus.

Rin Tohsaka and Leonardo Bisatrio Harwey are shaking hands, a sign of unity from the previously fighting factions. There are many whispers on how such end can possibly happen, after the bitter battle between the Plutocrat and the 'Terrorist', never mind with all 999 participants of the Grail War surviving the bloodbath.

But only those who had experienced the Far Side of the Moon could ever explain it. When the unity for common cause had create such progress outside of expectation, the true potential of mankind will reveal itself. Leo has start working on the stagnating space exploration project, while mysteriously speaking of 'meeting a friend' someday. His words bring a smile to a small group of people who share his dream, as the future never looks brighter than that day.

"Senpai, is this alright?"

I turn to my companion. Her face is slightly disappointed at my action.

"We still have to be neutral. Besides, if we're to reveal ourselves, that will stop their goal from advancing more. Hold on a little longer, then our next reunion will be the best of all."

Sakura giggles a little. Ah, the student council reunion, where we can finally eat Julius' curry from the inside of a barrel, where we can finally pull Jinako-san from the inside of her blanket, where Rani teases Rin as she's being clueless of her own denseness, where we can finally be proud of ourselves as we look back into the events that shapes us now.

My story isn't ending any time soon too, after all.

**To be continued to...**


End file.
